


Never let go

by Sweetanco



Category: Free!
Genre: Confessions, Fluff, Holding Hands, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-16
Updated: 2014-01-16
Packaged: 2018-01-08 23:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1138938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetanco/pseuds/Sweetanco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They’ve been holding hands for as long as Haruka remembers. But why is it that now Haruka chest tighten up everytime they touch?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never let go

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the MakoHaru festival on tumblr. The challenge is holding hands. It's unbetad for now so I will update this when I get myself a beta! I hope you guys enjoy.

They’ve been holding hands for as long as Haruka remembers. When did it start? Haruka can’t remember exactly. Why is that now he always get that feeling inside his chest when they touch? Haruka doesn’t have an answer.

But as he once again takes the extended hand and looks into the green eyes above him, he thinks those questions don’t really matter. All that matters is how everything seems to fall in place in his head, everytime he takes the bigger tanned hand.

How feeling the strong and long fingers wrap around his own paler hand makes his heart flutter a little in his chest yet at the same makes him feel peaceful.

How seeing the smiling face that accompanies the hand above him and hearing his name said in the most gentle voice leaves him kind of dazed.

“I was looking all over for you, Haru. I told you to wait for me but you left as soon as you were done.”

As he speaks, Makoto pulls him up from the grass where Haruka had been lying down a few seconds before. Haruka doesn’t answer, at least not vocally. _I decided to wait for you here. I don’t like waiting in the classroom and from here I can see the pool._

Makoto glances down at the grass behind Haruka before his eyes come back to Haruka.

“You were bored in the classroom and decided to wait here so you could look at the pool. Is that what you’re thinking?”

Haruka looks aside and shrugs. He’s used to Makoto being able to read his mind like this. It’s always been like that with him. It sometimes bothers him that Makoto knows him that way but Haruka is still grateful for him being there. He can hear Makoto laugh softly in front him. His hand is shaking slightly with Makoto’s laughter. That’s when Haruka realizes that they haven’t let go of each other hands yet.

It’s also something that’s been happening a lot lately. Whenever Makoto is helping him out of the pool or even at home out of the bathtub, they keep holding hands for longer than normal, fingers still wrapped around the other hand. Haruka doesn’t know whether which one of them started doing it but he knows that he isn’t bothered by this either. Haruka can remember the day Nagisa commented on that sometimes ago.

 

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were at the pool for swimming practice and Makoto had been there waiting for Haruka to get out. He had held his hand out to Haruka as per usual and helped him out. Rei had then asked something to Makoto, taking his attention away. Haruka had been thinking about grabbing a towel but had decided to wait for Makoto to finish with Rei. He would be using Makoto’s towel today so he thought it would be better to wait and ask him.

They hadn’t realized that they were still holding hands until Nagisa had brought it up.

“Say, Haru-chan, Mako-chan, aren’t you guys holding hands much longer than usual recently?”

They all turned to look at him and noticed that he had his eyes down. Inevitably, 4 sets of eyes had dropped down to Makoto’s and Haruka’s hand. Haruka had stared at the way his pale hand struck against Makoto’s tanned one. A sight he was used to, he had thought.

“Really? I don’t think we hold hands all that long though, Nagisa. I’m just helping Haru getting out .”

“But you guys are still holding hands and Haru-chan has been out of the pool for a while now.”

Haruka had frowned after that. Not because of what Nagisa was saying but because of the way Makoto’s hand had tightened around his. Makoto had gotten tensed.

“Nagisa.”

“It’s true Haru-chan! I'm okay with it but it does made you guys look like a couple. Ask Rei-chan, some of the girls even asked us about you guys.”

Nagisa had turned expectantly toward the other boy.Put on the spot, Rei had flushed and coughed for a bit before protesting. Makoto had blushed too, his surprised eyes searching for Haruka. The coach had interrupted them before Haruka or Makoto could say anything.

But Haruka could remember the pensive expression on Makoto’s face as they went home that day.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Haru!”

Haruka is brought back to the present when he hears Makoto’s voice. He notices two things at once when he looked at the other boy: Makoto eyes are worried and they’re no longer holding hands.

“Ah finally! You scared me Haru. I’ve been calling your name over and over and you weren’t answering. ”

“Sorry, I’m fine. ”

“Good.” Makoto adjusts his backpack strap and turns away. “We should get going now. I have some homework due for tomorrow. You have some too, right Haru?”

Haruka doesn’t answer. Instead, he keeps on staring at Makoto whose back is now turned to him, the memory of his pensive face that day now at the forefront of his mind. A small wind has picked up, rustling the leaves of the trees around them.

Makoto is looking at him again and Haruka feels like asking. Ask him how it makes him feel when they hold hands like that. Does it feel as natural to Makoto as it feels to Haruka? Yet at the same has this started to make his heart race in his chest the way Haruka’s heart has been doing recently? Why did he look like that when Nagisa talked about it?

“Makoto.”

Before he’s realized what he’s doing, Haruka is reaching for Makoto’s hand. He grabs it and watch as Makoto’s eyes grow wide with surprise.

“Haru?”

“Does it bother you? Holding my hand like this. Does it bother you that Nagisa and Rei noticed that we’ve been holding hands for longer?”

Makoto looks at him for a moment before a gentle smile breaks on his face.

“No Haru. It could never bother me. I was worried it would bother you, especially after what Nagisa said. I've had this habit of taking your hands so it's my fault. I was wondering if you wanted me to stop doing that. I will if it bothers you.”

Haruka shakes his head. Never. The idea of not having Makoto’s hand reaching for him is unbearable to him.

“No. I don’t want you to.”

Haruka looks at Makoto’s hand, once again gripped by the contrast between their skin tone. He slowly raise Makoto’s hand to his chest, presses it over his heart. He wants Makoto to feel the way his heart be. Haruka can tell the moment Makoto feels his heart under his fingers from the expression on his face.

“Seeing you always there for me, always waiting for me with your hand reaching out for me... ”

Haruka closes his eyes, remembering all those times. When he opens them again, his blue eyes are shimmering with the last rays of the sun as he looks into Makoto’s surprised green ones.

“It’s always made me feel happy, even when I acted like it didn’t. It has become my habit to expect you there for me, when I open my eyes or try to get up. It has become as natural as feeling water on my skin.”

When Makoto eyes soften and he gets closer to him, Haruka breathes in deeply taking into the smell he knows as much as his own. His eyes never leave Makoto's.

“Your warmth at my side, always... It’s always been enough to make me feel safe, strong. But recently something has changed. My heart feels like it’s trying to beat out of my chest when I feel you there with me. It makes me unable to focus, even on swimming. Sometimes, my head is filled with thoughts about you, about the way you hold on to my hand, the way you smile at me.”

When Makoto’s hand reach up to cup his face, Haruka push his face toward the warm hand. Best friends shouldn't reach for each other in this way or act like that, should they? Haruka doesn't really care, especially when Makoto's hand on his chest to grab his.

Their fingers are intertwined as Makoto brings their hands back to his chest, and place them over his heart. It’s Haruka’s turn to show surprise. His blue eyes grow wide as he feels the irregular thumping in Makoto’s chest.

“I feel like you Haru. I’ve been trying to hold my emotions in check, I’ve been trying to fight those feelings because I thought they were wrong. But I can’t, I never could. I love you Haru, I always will. And I am there for you, for as long as you need me. I will always reach out a hand for you when you want me there, always.”

Haruka can only describe the feelings that go through him right then as happiness. Intense, exhilarating happiness as his heart settle into the same irregular rythm as Makoto’s. Haruka doesn’t feel uneasy anymore. Instead, a calm feeling overtake over him, a feeling he didn’t think he could experience outside of swimming. Makoto feels the same way he does, Makoto will never let him go. It’s all that matters.

“I don’t want you to ever let go Makoto. I … I… ”

Haruka isn’t surprised when he feels Makoto’s lips settle on his. He should be shocked that his best friend is kissing him, maybe even unhappy that Makoto didn’t let him finish.

But Haruka isn’t. On the contrary, he feels like he’s finally getting what he’s been waiting for. Makoto already knows what Haruka has been trying to say, the words are unnecessary when Makoto already see in his heart.

Closing his eyes, Haruka reaches up and wraps his other hand around Makoto’s nape. The kiss is slow, their tongues tentatively flicking against each other, learning to discover each other. Haruka feels like his head is swimming, engulfed by warmth and pleasure. They keep kissing like this for a long time, coming up at intervals to breathe a little before they start again.

When Makoto finally breaks away, out of breath, Haruka follows him unwilling to stop. He doesn’t realize a frustrated has left him until Makoto laughs at him.

“We should get going Haru. Here we’re at school, someone could see us.”

Haruka doesn’t care about that he thinks. People can watch all they want he doesn’t care.

“I know you don’t. But we could get in trouble on school ground. Let’s go home. We can pick up there if you want.”

There is heat in Makoto’s eyes as he says that and Haruka blushes. Makoto is right though, they should head home The sun is already setting at the horizon. Makoto lets him go to grab his bag before they both head back. Their hands reach for each other as they walk, almost intuitively and Haruka thinks that's all he needs. As long as he has Makoto at his side, as long as his hand always there to support him, Haruka feels that he can always move forward.


End file.
